Spencer Johnson, Matt Short, Aaron Hardie in line to make debut in first South Africa T20I

Australia are set to field three uncapped players in the first T20I match against South Africa which is scheduled to be played at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday, August 30. Notably, Cricket Australia announced the playing XI for the first fixture as the likes of Spencer Johnson, Matt Short and Aaron Hardie will make their debut against the Proteas.

Mitchell Marsh will lead the new-look Australian side for the T20Is, as bulk of the first-choice side will warm the bench for the forthcoming contest. With the recent bowling exploits in the domestic matches Johnson, Hardie and Short have earned the call-up to the national team.

For the unversed, Johnson relished a solid campaign in the Sheffield Shield 2022/23 season, wherein he claimed 16 wickets in just three outings, maintaining an average economy of 3.54. In addition to this, he grabbed headlines during The Hundred 2023 match against Manchester Originals as he returned the most economical figures in the competition, giving away a solitary run in his 20 deliveries and racked up three scalps.  

On the other hand, 24-year-old Aaron Hardie, who has been named in Australia’s preliminary World Cup squad, will make his international debut against South Africa in the upcoming T20I. Notably, Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David and Adam Zampa are the only four players part of the XI, who played in Australia's T20 World Cup campaign in November last year. 

It is worth mentioning that the Aussies have been dealing with repeated blows in the form of injuries prior to the 2023 ODI World Cup. The likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, and Glenn Maxwell, among others, have sustained injuries and are currently recuperating to make it in time for the marquee ICC event in India. Following the conclusion of the multi-format series, the Aussies will also face World Cup hosts team India in a three-match ODI series. 

Australia first T20I XI v South Africa: Matt Short, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson